Mechanical clutch.



PATENTED JULY 16, 1907. R. P. WHITNEY. 'ME'CHANIGAL CLUTCH, APBLIOATIONIILBD JULY 22. 1905.

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UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIoE.

ROBERT F. WHITNEY, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOARTHUR E. WHITNEY, OF WINCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

MECHANICAL CLUTCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 16, 1907.

Application filed July 22,1905. Serial No. 270,757.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ROBERT F. WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Winchester, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inMechanical Clutches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanical clutches, and its object is toprovide a clutch of simple construction, easily and effectivelyoperated.

It is illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical central section of the mechanism, partly inelevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the driven clutch member with meansfor operating the clutch. Fig' 3 is a perspective view of the drivingclutch member. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the dog. 4

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the severaldrawings. i

On the stud 1 is revolubly mounted the driving gear (sprocket) 2, towhich is fixed the driving clutch member 3 which is in .the form of acrown wheel with broad cogs 4 and narrow spaces 5 between the cogs andwhich is furnished with the guiding'lugs 6. On said stud 1 is alsorevolubly mounted the hub 8 to which is fixed the'driven clutch member 7and the gear 9. These parts are confined on stud l by collars 1 and setscrews 1 The driven clutch member 7 comprises a disk with an annularflange 10, the disk and flange each having a portion 11, 12 cut away,and said disk being furnished on its inner face with a perforated lug 13through and in sliding contact with which extends the rod 14 and onwhich reststhe inner end of the spring 15 whose outer end rests againstthe nut 16 adjustably screwed upon said rod and held in place by the jamnut 17. The outer end of the rod 14 engages a socket 14 in the dog 20.

Near the outer edge of the disk are the perforated lugs 18 in which isfixed the axial shaft 19 on which is revolubly mounted the dog 20 withits hub 21 and arm 22, said arm being shaped substantially as shown,with its inner end 22 adapted to fit loosely in the cut out portion 12of the flange 10, with its outer end 22 in the form of a tooth adaptedto enter and engage the slots 5 in the driving member 3 and .with itsextreme outer end 22 reduced and adapted to pass inside and engage theguiding lugs 6 .on the driving member 3. The cogs 4 are reduced inthickness, as shown, to enable the outer end of the dog to pass freelybetween them and the guiding lugs 6. These cogs 4 are reduced in width(height from plate) to make openings through i which the operator mayreach to adjust the tension of the spring 15. The large end of the lugsprovides a broad abutment for the outer end of the dog as it springsinto slot 5. The dog 20 being mbunted in the cut-out portions 11 and 12of the disk and flange of the driven member 7, asdescribed, rotates onits shaft 19 in a plane cutting the plane of said disk at right anglesand has its inner or bottom side enlarged laterally to engage the inneredge of the flange 10 and thus limit its upward movement. Such upwardmovement may be limited by any suitable lugs or stops or other means. Onthe stud 23 is fulcrumed the lever 24 carrying the weight 25. The roller26 is mounted on the axial shaft 27 set in said lever and held in placeby'the screws 27.

'The operation of the clutch is as follows: The sprocket 2 being drivenby a chain (not shown) rotates the drivingclutch member 3 while thedriven clutch member 7, with the dog shown in the position in Fig. 2remains at rest, the roller 26 resting upon the upper side of the dog,and, assisted by the weight 25, depressing it against the pressure ofthe spring 15. The guiding lugs 6 on the clutch member 3, during therotation of said clutch member, are carried over the extreme outer end22 of the dog 20 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. When the lever 14is raised by power applied to the chain 28, the spring raises the tooth22 of the dog against the inner side of one of the rotating cogs 4 alongwhich it slides until it reaches and springs into one of the slots 5thereby locking the two clutch members together and imparting motion tothe gear 9 and thence by any suitable gearing to the machinery to beoperated by the clutch. If, when the lever 24 is raised, the extremeouter end 22 of the dog is below one of the guiding lugs 6, it will comeinto contact therewith and slide along until coming to the end of thelug, when it will jump across into contact with the next cog, alongwhich it will slide as just described. The purpose of these guiding lugsis to prevent the dog, when released by raising the lever, from jumpingsuddenly into, or just missing, one of the slots and thereby jarring andstraining the machinery and wearing out the clutch. When the clutchmembers are locked together in rotation, the roller 26 will be inrolling contact with the flange of the driven clutch member and, if notheld by the chain 28, will, after one revolution of the clutch, dropinto the position'shown in Fig. 2, thus releasipg the driven member ofthe clutch. The chain 28 is adapted to be raised or lowered by atreadle, or any other suitable mechanism.

It is obvious that the members of the clutch will remain in engagementso long as the lever 24 is held by the chain 28 in the position shown inFig. 1; and it is also obvious that, when the lever is released, theroller 26 will break the engagement automatically at the completion ofone revolution by depressing the dog 20 as explained. This automaticfeature is useful, when the clutch is employed in a machine to operatesome reciprocating part, as, for example, to rotate radial arms acertain distance about their axes and then, releasing themautomatically, permit them to drop back, an operation incident to hideWorking machines The operator in any instance may at any time engage themembers of the clutch by raising the chain 28, and then, by releasingthe chain, leave the members to disengage themselves. It desirable, boththe engagement and the release may be automatically arranged.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is ROBERT F. WHITNEY.

Witnesses ELsIn M. Coonnnen, RALPH W. Fosrnn.

